SparkyLinux Multimedia For Linux

Even if it’s called SparkyLinux Multimedia, don’t expect too much from this edition of the Debian-based SparkyLinux operating system. Despite expectations, it comes with two unpopular window managers. The name Multimedia makes people think it’s an complex distribution that includes all the desktop environments on which most of the SparkyLinux edition are built, but that is not the case.

It is distributed as two Live DVD ISO images, one for each of the supported hardware platforms (64-bit and 32-bit), that can be used to boot an existing operating system, run a memory test, or run the live session in failsafe or text modes.

The distribution is supported in English, Polish, Italian, French, Swedish, German, Japanese, Arabic, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Czech, Spanish, Danish, Korean, Dutch, Greek, Hindi, Hebrew, Slovak, and Hungarian languages.

Instead, SparkyLinux Multimedia includes the JWM (Joe's Window Manager) and Openbox minimalistic and exclusivists window managers. The live session will automatically start the Openbox desktop.

Default applications include the QupZilla web browser, Claws Mail, Pidgin multi-protocol instant messenger, uGet download manager, XChat IRC client, gFTP FTP client, Transmission BitTorrent client, AbiWord word processor, Gnumeric spreadsheet software, and GIMP image editor.

Users will be able to browse the filesystem and manage files with the PCManFM and Tux Commander file managers, use all the SparkyLinux in-house apps, control other operating systems remotely with TeamViewer, and connect to their Dropbox account with the official client.

The minimum requirements for this Linux distribution are at least 256 MB of RAM, a decent CPU, a DVD drive or USB port, and at least 5GB of free disk space (10GB recommended for a full installation).

Overall, the desktop environments included in SparkyLinux Multimedia are perfect for low-end computers, but in no way they will be used by novice user who have no idea what JWM or Openbox are.